Get more out of digital?

This week saw release of some new stats to confirm, if it was still needed, that growing digitally is a key component to any business.  The Digital 2018 report has reported that the continued growth of the internet, is continuing to fuel ecommerce and not just around the world but here at home, in the UK.

With 1.77 billion internet users purchasing consumer goods online in 2017 - an increase of 8% compared to 2016, 95% of the UK population now uses the internet, which is an increase of 5% from 2017.

We Brits now spend almost six hours online every day, with a third of that time spent using social media.  According to information from Facebook pre-Christmas, 1 in every 5 minutes online is spent on their platform!

So, as a business owner, what does this mean to you? Lets take a quick look at two areas:

1 – Shops on the high street

I’ve spent the last 3 years as the chair for the local chamber of trade trying to support the town and I’m aware of the challenges that face small towns in driving footfall.  Can a shop  benefit, even if not selling (or wanting to be selling) online by going digital?  Yes is the short answer.  If not already there are great and effective ways to help engage your customers, promote offers, talk about your new products and remind everyone you’re there.  Nothing can beat a personalised service and digital is included in that!  Even a ‘click to bricks’ campaign or ‘click and collect’ can work to keep your customers local. 

2 – Events and festivals

Whether you’re a jazz festival or a motoring event, camping or attraction and everything in between, digital should be at the forefront of everyone’s campaigns.  You don’t always need to be an expert yourself but some thoughtfully placed posts and links for tickets will be a great way to grow and get income in advance of the customer turning up.

We all have so little time and a lot of reasons to spend it doing a variety of different things but socialising at a great event, getting people together is still one of the most enjoyable for us all. 

Get social sales working from Facebook or twitter, as well as your own website and supporting sites, it’ll all help encourage customers to come along and support your event and have a good time.

There are always ways to begin and grow your digital journey and even if you’re not 100% sure, your customers are there already so join them!  Its easier than you think to take the plunge and grow.

If you’d like to talk to us about how you can grow online for your business, attraction, venue or event, get in touch and one of the team can help.